1 It was while Apollos was in Corinth that Paul, by passing through the inland districts, came to Ephesus. He found a few disciples there
2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered him, "So far from that, we never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 He then asked, "With what sort of baptism then were you baptized?" They answered, "With John's baptism."
4 Then Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism that was an expression of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was to come after him; that is, in Jesus."
5 On hearing this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
6 and when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in foreign tongues and to prophesy.
7 In all there were about twelve men.
8 He went to the synagogue there and for three months courageously spoke, keeping up his discussions and continuing to persuade them about the kingdom of God.
9 But as some of them grew harder and harder and refused to believe, actually criticizing The Way before the people, he left them, withdrew his disciples, and continued his discussions in the lecture-hall of Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, so that everybody living in the province of Asia, Greeks as well as Jews, heard the Lord's message.
11 God also continued to do such wonder-works through Paul
12 as an instrument that the people carried off to the sick, towels or aprons used by him, and at their touch they were cured of their diseases, and the evil spirits went out of them.
13 But some wandering Jews who claimed to be driving out the evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus on those who had evil spirits in them, saying, "I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches!"
14 Sceva, a Jewish high priest, had seven sons who were doing this.
15 But on one occasion the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you?"
16 So the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped upon them and so violently overpowered two of them that they ran out of the house stripped of their clothes and wounded.
17 This at once became known to everybody living in Ephesus, Greeks as well as Jews, and awe fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus began to be held in high honor.
18 And many who became believers kept coming and confessing and uncovering their former practices.
19 Many people who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them up before the public gaze. They estimated the price of them and found it to be ten thousand dollars.
20 In a way of just such power as this the Lord's message kept on spreading and prevailing.
21 After these events had been brought to a close, Paul under the guidance of the Spirit decided to pass through Macedonia and Greece on his way to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have gone there I must see Rome too."
22 So he sent off to Macedonia two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, while he stayed on for a while in Asia.
23 Now just about that time a great commotion arose about The Way.
24 A silversmith named Demetrius, by manufacturing silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing in great profits to his workmen.
25 He called together his workmen, and others engaged in similar trades, and said to them: "Men, you well know that our prosperity depends on this business of ours,
26 and you see and hear that, not only in Ephesus but all over the province of Asia, this man Paul has led away a vast number of people by persuading them, telling them that gods made by human hands are not gods at all.
27 Now the danger facing us is, not only that our business will lose its reputation but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be brought into contempt and that she whom all Asia and all the world now worship will soon be dethroned from her majestic glory!"
28 When they heard this, they became furious and kept on shouting, "Great Artemis of Ephesus!"
29 So the whole city was thrown into confusion and with one impulse the people rushed into the theatre and dragged with them two Macedonians, Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions.
30 Paul wanted to go into the assembly and address the people, but the disciples would not let him.
31 Some of the public officials in Asia, who were friendly to him, also sent word to him, begging him not to risk himself in the theatre.
32 So they kept on shouting, some one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority of them did not know why they had met.
33 Some of the crowd concluded that it was Alexander, since the Jews had pushed him to the front, and since Alexander had made a gesture of the hand as though he would make a defense before the people.
34 But as soon as they saw that he was a Jew, a shout went up from them all as the shout of one man, lasting for two hours: "Great Artemis of Ephesus!"
35 At last the city recorder quieted the mob and said: "Men of Ephesus, who in the world does not know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image that fell down from heaven?
36 So, as this cannot be denied, you must be quiet and do nothing rash.
37 For you have brought these men here, although they are not guilty of sacrilege or of abusive speech against our goddess.
38 So then, if Demetrius and his fellow-workmen have a charge against anybody, there are the courts and the judges; let them go to law.
39 But if you require anything beyond this, it must be settled in the regular assembly.
40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting for today's assembly, as there is not a single reason we can give for it."
41 With these words he dismissed the assembly.